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"The General", a classic silent comedy, lifted Buster Keaton from the ashes of oblivion decades after his name and legacy were forgotten.  Audiences and critics in the 1920ies did not appreciate this extraordinary masterpiece, but Buster Keaton always regarded "The General" as his best film.  Today he is totally vindicated and the world agrees with him.

The movie luminary Orson Welles has stated that Buster Keaton's "The General" is "the greatest comedy ever made, the greatest Civil War film ever made, and perhaps the greatest film ever made." (From Wikipedia).

The film contains the single most spectacular scene of the Silent Era when a real train falls from a burning bridge and crashes into the river below.

"The General" has been voted in the list of the best films ever made, and is ranked number 1 in the list of The Top 100 Silent Era Films of the influential website Silent Era.

"The General" was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 1989, the first year it was enacted.

Directed by               Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Produced by             Joseph Schenck, Buster Keaton
Scenario by               Al Boasberg, Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton          
Based on                    The Great Locomotive Chase by William Pittenger
Starring                     Buster Keaton, Marion Mack
Cinematography       Bert Haines, Devereaux Jennings
Distributed by           United Artists
Release date               5 February 1927
Running time             75 min.
Country                      United States
Language                    Silent film, English intertitles

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